Agenda item

The Committee will hear from representatives from HS2 and East West Rail regarding their engagement with communities who are impacted by the construction of these two major infrastructure projects. Members will also be informed of opportunities which are available through associated community investment funding.

Contributors:

Cllr Peter Martin, Deputy Cabinet Member for HS2/EWR

Richard Lumley, Service Director, Strategic Transport and Infrastructure

Dr Laura Leech, Head of Major Projects, Strategic Transport and Infrastructure

Jackie Copcutt, HS2 Team (Engagement)

Susan Browning, EWR Stakeholder & Team Leader

HS2

Maddelyn Sutton, Head of Engagement, HS2

Simon Matthews, Interface & Stakeholder Director, EKFB

Rohan Perin, Project Client Director (EKFB), HS2

David Emms, Project Client Director (Align), HS2

Darielle Proctor, Head of Engagement & Compliance, Align

Joel Sykes, Senior Engagement and Interface Lead, HS2

Patrick Kelly, Buckinghamshire Lead, Align & EKFB

Elena Gonzalez, Social Value and Legacy Manager, EKFB

Michael Eckett, Head of Acquisitions, HS2

Michelle Cook, Senior Stakeholder Manager (Land & Property), HS2

EWR

Mark Cuzner, Director, EWR Alliance 

Jez Baldock, Deputy Director, EWR Alliance

The Chairman welcomed Councillor Peter Martin, Deputy Cabinet Member for HS2/EWR, Dr Laura Leech, Head of Major Projects, Strategic Transport and Infrastructure; Judith Wainwright and Toni Chapman, HS2 Team (Engagement); Susan Browning, EWR Stakeholder & Team Leader and Mark Cuzner, Director, EWR Alliance, & Thaina Sa’id, EWR Community Engagement Officer to the meeting.  The Chairman explained that the purpose of the meeting was to assess the effectiveness of East West Rail and HS2’s community engagement – the impact of the construction on Buckinghamshire’s environment and transport considerations would continue to be monitored by the Council’s Transport, Environment and Climate Change Select Committee.

During the presentation, the following key points were raised:

·   The civil element of the EWR project, which included earthworks, new bridge structures and refurbishments, was substantially complete. 12 footbridges were on the scheme, 10 have been installed, 7 of which had been opened. The opening of the public right of ways had been brought forward earlier into the programme. The focus, therefore, shifted to track work and railway systems, which East West Rail (EWR) had started in 2021.

·   The project had received a number of awards for its environmental and sustainability performance. A target of 10% biodiversity net gain had been set. East West Rail had also achieved a rating of Excellent in the Considerate Contractor's scheme, averaging a score of 47 across their sites

·   EWR recognised the importance of co-ordinating with HS2, with regular meetings being held to progress a number of workstreams. 

·   The first permanent highway repairs had taken place at Queen Catherine Road. Reinstatement of EWR compounds and further Highway repairs would require truck movements, which would continue to impact the community. Road closures and traffic management presented a significant challenge, as did mud and dust impact. However, a number of measures to minimise the nuisance to the community had been implemented. These included using precast construction, acoustic barriers and dampening innovations for track construction, and informing the public about ongoing roadworks.

·   EWR recognised that road closures and repair work had significant impact on communities, leading to complaints and queries via their hotline. Extensive discussions were being held with Council engineers around the next batch of highways repairs, ensuring that lessons learned from earlier works would be taken forward.

·   Two new stations were being constructed at Bletchley and Winslow, with the construction of car parks starting later this year.

·   Social value works had been ongoing since the commencement of construction in April 2019. The return on investment was currently at £2.4 million with over 230 engagements. For example, at Curly Tails Community Farm near Newton Longville almost half a mile of footpaths had been installed to improve access during the winter. There had also been a number of painting projects in local schools and donations to food banks.

The following points were noted during the Committee’s discussion:

·   The Chairman asked a question on behalf of Cllr John Chilver, member for Winslow, about the amount of notice given to local members, who are key stakeholders in the communities affected by the project. Mr Cuzner advised that plans to repair roads were communicated to the public via newsletters and leaflet drops ahead of works commencing. Mark Cuzner acknowledged that it was important to give as much notice as possible when roads would be closed.

·   On behalf of MP Greg Smith, the Chairman asked how the impact of road closures on local communities and businesses would be mitigated and asked for improved communications with his office and Buckinghamshire Council around this. It was noted that weekly meetings were already being held with the MP’s office to inform him about the progress of the project and answer any questions arising. There was also a robust enquiry system in place, where members of the public could contact the Network Rail hotline with any concerns. Planning was also taking place as far in advance as possible.  Individual businesses could pursue compensation claims but it wasn’t appropriate to comment on those at the meeting.

·   A Member highlighted the difficulty of receiving frequent complaints from residents about the road conditions and being asked when temporary repairs were planned. Further, concerns were raised regarding surveys undertaken by East West Rail that had not been shared with the public, and the impact of the project on small businesses and employment. Mr Cuzner advised that the highway condition had been recorded before the start of the project and an updated survey had been carried out, which formed the basis of identifying the permanent repair scope to be agreed with the Council. A programme was in place to ensure interim repairs were undertaken, and any works undertaken had to meet design standards set out in the EWR contract.

·   A member also raised concerns about local businesses who had been significantly impacted by EWR and HS2 construction issues.  

·   Concerns were raised around engagement and communication with the public. Although meetings were held, Members did not feel that the current communications did enough to alleviate concerns and impact on residents and local businesses. It was suggested that joint public engagement events could be held to ensure residents get a detailed view of both the EWR and HS2 projects and impact on local areas. In response, Mark Cuzner explained that there was a lot of co-ordination between EWR and HS2. Forthcoming road closures in the north of the county took into account progress of both projects and fortnightly meetings were taking place to plan the phasing of closures. A joint community event was also planned for the end of January 2023, which will enable information for residents to be more readily available. It was anticipated that a joint meeting between Buckinghamshire Council, HS2 and East West Rail would be held to ensure necessary information would be presented to the community. Furthermore, feedback was welcomed as the team were continuously looking to improve the project and the communication with the public in order to minimise negative impact on residents.

·   A Member raised concerns around the social value projects not being properly funded as part of the EWR project. He wanted to follow up on the East Claydon school car park project discussed earlier and requested a commitment to resolve the issues properly.  Mr Cuzner acknowledged that he couldn’t give a firm commitment as there was no funding available and there was a design liability in this case.  Whilst he wanted to achieve a resolution, expectations had to be managed otherwise there is a risk of again over promising and under delivering.

·   A Member commented that he had been impressed with the efficiency of the infrastructure projects in terms of the engineering, but there was room for improvement in terms of their community engagement. 

·   A Member commended the early opening of footpaths, but was concerned around the 10 % biodiversity net gain being insufficient to offset the environmental damage caused by EWR and he asked about how reinstatement and biodiversity was prioritised. Mr Cuzner explained that the 10% figure was agreed with Natural England following the public inquiry and assured that vegetation and habitat were being retained as much as possible on the railway footprint.  Some of the 10% would also be delivered via compensation sites which EWR had consulted on locally.

Deputy Cabinet Member, Cllr Peter Martin thanked the Committee for their questions and for raising the concerns of residents with regards to the level and timeliness of community engagement being undertaken by both EWR and HS2.  The Chairman thanked Mark Cuzner and Thania Sa’id for attending the meeting and asked to be kept informed on the progress of the discussions around the car park at East Claydon School.

The Chairman welcomed Maddelyn Sutton, Head of Community and Stakeholder Engagement, HS2; Simon Matthews, Interface & Stakeholder Director, EKFB; Rohan Perin, Project Client Director (EKFB), HS2;; Darielle Proctor, Head of Engagement & Compliance, Align; Joel Sykes, Senior Engagement and Interface Lead, HS2; Patrick Kelly, Buckinghamshire Lead, Align & EKFB; Elena Gonzalez, Social Value and Legacy Manager, EKFB; Michael Eckett, Head of Acquisitions, HS2 and Michelle Cook, Senior Stakeholder Manager (Land & Property), HS2, to the meeting.

During the presentation, the following key points were raised:

·   The HS2 Act set out the rules for dealing with consent approvals to build the railway. It put specific obligations on both HS2 and the local authorities in carrying out those approvals. Consent covered a number of areas, such as environmental, noise, vibration, flood risks and impact on water courses.

·   Rohan Perrin emphasised that HS2 main contractors had put significant effort into stakeholder engagement which would continue as construction intensified through 2023 and 2024.  It was recognised that road closures particularly caused concerns and HS2 were aiming to brief local councillors in a timely way to minimise disruption for residents.

·   Much focus in engagement with the Council was around Planning. Member Information Groups (MIGs) had been established to facilitate this. For each application made to the Council, local Members were provided with an opportunity to ask questions in those meetings. Technical specialists would present the design and explain some of the construction impact. Feedback from Members on those sessions had been positive.

·   For some key design elements, public engagement events were held to gain feedback on the design. For specific locations, further engagement with local communities was established through webinars and drop-in events to gather feedback around the final design. Once an application had been made, the information was then shared with the public online.

·   A significant length of the route ran through Buckinghamshire. Around 60% of Schedule 17 applications had been approved so far and there had been some positive design changes through engagement.

·   Although the formal consultation for the project had been completed, an emphasis was still put on ‘Informing, Involving and Responding’ to local communities in Buckinghamshire. 500 meetings were held across the county last year, including drop-in sessions and webinars, though most of the sessions were now being held face-to-face. Public engagement for the project was also achieved through a website, a mobile visitor centre, shared drone footage and a help desk, which has dealt with 30,000 queries across last year.

·   A monthly complaints and enquiries report was shared with the Council. The number of complaints received had dropped significantly from 2021 to 2022. The team were working closely with officers and members to ensure that complaints could be responded to accordingly. Meetings were held with officers on a weekly basis to examine common themes in enquiries and complaints. A quarter of the total complaints received had come from Buckinghamshire, which had been addressed through additional resources and coordination with officers and members across the Council.

·   It was recognised that local members were in a strong position to provide feedback and HS2 had responded to this – for example, HS2 now circulate a three month look ahead highlighting what work is coming up in the area and engagement opportunities. 

·   The HS2 act allowed for land to be acquired permanently. There is a compensation code which had to be adhered to and it was a very complex area. People that had land acquired were entitled to compensation for the value of the land, any depreciation in the value of the land they retain, and a statutory loss payment. Land owners must also be compensated for damages if land was acquired temporarily for surveys, inspections and some construction activities. Some compensation was also available for individuals who have been impacted by the construction and/or subsequent operation of the railway. The Department for Transport and HS2 had also rolled out non-statutory compensation packages enabling people to sell their property to the Department for Transport

·   Once HS2 received claim forms then compensation would be negotiated via specialist land agents, agreed and paid.  There was a mechanism to refer claims that cannot be resolved to the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber). As this could be very costly, HS2 offered three alternative routes to try and settle compensation issues and updated guidance would be online later in January 2023.

·    8.3 square kilometres of land had been acquired and 3.2 square kilometres were in temporary possession to date. 241 properties had been acquired throughout Buckinghamshire of which 203 are let out.

·   The community and business fund had, so far, allocated £12m to projects along the HS2 route, with £3.6m invested in Buckinghamshire to date. These opportunities were being promoted at events. Several funds were available to benefit people locally, such as the Road Safety Fund (£3.95m fund in total, administered by the Council), the Woodland Fund, and three area-specific funds (£3m for Colne Valley, £3m for Chilterns AONB and £1m for Calvert area). All contractors were required to have a community investment strategy to set out funding and support provided to local community groups. 

·   The project employed a high number of apprentices, almost 1,000 currently with 24 from Buckinghamshire. HS2 also focussed on opportunities for people who had been unemployed before joining the project. Information about the jobs and skills programmes was made available at events. There had been discussion with the Council’s Children’s Services regarding possible employment opportunities for care leavers and there was a significant ongoing school engagement project, inspiring children to go into engineering careers and providing workshops and mentoring support.

·   There were also Local supply chain opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises available in Buckinghamshire – further information was available on the website.

·   In 2022, 25 community projects had been delivered, these projects ranged from supporting local events e.g. Christmas fayres or firework events to embarking on bigger construction projects e.g. improved footways in Great Missenden. Support was also provided to several charities, including mental health and wellbeing, homeless charities, local dog rescues, and a women's refuge.

The following points were noted during the Committee’s discussion:

·   The Chairman commended the team for their comprehensive presentation and the opportunities the project had created for local communities.

·   A Member highlighted the importance of effective and accurate communication during the closure of the A413 in minimising its impact on communities. A face-to-face information session was held before Christmas and public communications were issued to note any diversions. The timing of issuing such information had been crucial for minimising the impact on communities. The importance of liaising with utility companies was also discussed. Simon Matthews added that road closures had to be balanced in terms of completing significant work on the viaduct construction and the impact on communities. The feedback was noted and would be considered for future events that could impact residents.

·   In response to a question regarding movement of spoil by HGVs on rural roads, it was noted that excavated material from the Chiltern tunnels was being repurposed along the HS2 route for landscape screening and the bulk of this, around 30m cubic metres, would be moved via rail rather than road.  All HGV movements were tracked through a traffic management system and Rohan Perrin rejected the idea of materials being utilised in a clandestine way.

·   A Member highlighted that some wards received fewer updates and information about the project than others. Although many areas were not directly affected by the HS2 route, residents there would likely still feel the impact of associated traffic issues. The feedback was noted and efforts would be made to keep wider Buckinghamshire Council members informed. It might also be possible to attend meetings with Parish Councils that had not received in-depth information they might require.

·   It was noted that successful compensation claims under section 10 were quite limited. HS2 was required to follow the compensation code. Members suggested that the guidance around filling out compensation forms should be made clearer to the public. 

·   Section 10 compensations for nuisance could not be extended to noise. However, noise was examined in both the construction and operational phase, with processes in place to assess where significant impact was reported. For each application, a noise demonstration report would be filed to identify the impact on individuals and specific mitigation can be discussed There was a specific discussion of an example of a business which had been impacted.

·   A Member raised concerns about the issue of the impact of vibration on residents living in Calvert Green and asked if vibration monitoring equipment would be installed. However, it was noted that the works completed to date had not caused any significant impact, with only one complaint having been received. Residents in the area were issued notice about the works to be undertaken, which was followed up by a meeting with residents on the ground. A further meeting was planned for the end of January for residents to speak to a technical specialist to understand the impact of vibration.

·   A Member commended the project for offering employment opportunities for Buckinghamshire residents who had previously been unemployed. The number of employees was noted to be even higher than the 69 presented in the report, highlighting that more accurate reporting mechanisms needed to be put in place. There was also an ambition to encourage more Buckinghamshire residents into employment with HS2, for example through working with the Jobcentre Plus

·   A positive comment had been received through social media, detailing how HS2 spoil materials were used to develop a new golf course.  HS2 were also in discussion with the Council re the use of HS2 spoil for some road construction schemes. 

·   The promotion of available community funding followed a priority system, wherein underrepresented areas that had not issued many applications were being targeted. However, applications from Buckinghamshire were still being assessed, and further funding could be granted. Although no specific figure could be provided around available funding for Buckinghamshire Members were assured that funds were not ring-fenced to any particular area along the route

·   The Deputy Cabinet Member acknowledged that EKFB and ALIGN had made significant efforts with communications but there was still room for further improvement. Members and officers from both the Council and the external organisations intended to work more closely together and enable open communication to ensure the best possible outcome for the community.

The Chairman thanked Members, Officers and external presenters for their attendance and contribution to the meeting.